This chapter is devoted to the sample of twenty climate documentaries. First, I present the common conflict presented in the films' expositions. I show that both the aesthetic representation of climate change and the narrative of a problem that is both imminent and current are comparable in structure. This common denominator of a ’present as catastrophe,’ as I have termed it in reference to Eva Horn, represents the narrative background against which the films must come to an end in their final scenes. Despite the bleak initial situation, most films make an affirmative turn toward an encouraging ending in their resolution. I, therefore, examine what the affirmative turns are based on and what narrative tactics are used to convey the underpinning arguments. I distinguish between six categories that name actors or means that serve as sources of confidence: Political and scientific unity, individual adaptability, transnational protest, Indigenous paradigm, emotional capacity and acceptance, as well as an im/possible transformation as a discordant category. Subsequently, the final chapter summarizes and theorizes the preceding analysis: I condense the entirety of the resolutions to the common denominator of communalization, which is invoked in various forms and functions in a narrative logic of plea and promise. And, I reconsider the three functions of narrating the future (to reflect – to plausibilize – to guide) in dialogue with my findings.

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Exposition and Resolution in Climate Change Narration

  • Florentine Schoog

摘要

This chapter is devoted to the sample of twenty climate documentaries. First, I present the common conflict presented in the films' expositions. I show that both the aesthetic representation of climate change and the narrative of a problem that is both imminent and current are comparable in structure. This common denominator of a ’present as catastrophe,’ as I have termed it in reference to Eva Horn, represents the narrative background against which the films must come to an end in their final scenes. Despite the bleak initial situation, most films make an affirmative turn toward an encouraging ending in their resolution. I, therefore, examine what the affirmative turns are based on and what narrative tactics are used to convey the underpinning arguments. I distinguish between six categories that name actors or means that serve as sources of confidence: Political and scientific unity, individual adaptability, transnational protest, Indigenous paradigm, emotional capacity and acceptance, as well as an im/possible transformation as a discordant category. Subsequently, the final chapter summarizes and theorizes the preceding analysis: I condense the entirety of the resolutions to the common denominator of communalization, which is invoked in various forms and functions in a narrative logic of plea and promise. And, I reconsider the three functions of narrating the future (to reflect – to plausibilize – to guide) in dialogue with my findings.